Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
On this episode of Dugout Blues, Jared and I are sad because of what happened last week, but we’re also looking forward to the Winter Meetings.
Shohei Ohtani is going to play in Southern California this season, except it won’t be with the Dodgers. He chose to sign with the Angels on Friday in a move that shocked a lot of the baseball world. Even though the Dodgers couldn’t offer as much money as other teams, they still had a good chance to land the Japanese phenom. But, Ohtani chose the Angels, and it should be fun to track his progress to see if his 2-way dreams come true.
This one hurt more, though: Giancarlo Stanton won’t be coming to LA. He, instead, was sent to the Yankees for a less-than-impressive package. In the end, the Yankees were willing to eat more money than the Dodgers, while the Dodgers wanted to send better prospects to Miami to lessen the financial burden. I’ve long since wanted Stanton to be a Dodger, but that dream is now dead. In the end, it’s probably for the best, but my heart wanted it.
A little birdie told me the Dodgers have discussed Stanton’s former teammate Marcell Ozuna as a trade possibility. Nothing is remotely close, but he would be a nice fit. His outfield cohort Christian Yelich would also be a nice fit, but I haven’t heard anything on him yet. And if the Dodgers don’t end up with either, then that’s fine, too.
Dodgers’ director of baseball operations Alex Tamin was poached from the front office to go work with Alex Anthopoulos in Atlanta under the title of director of major league operations. Tamin was a holdover from the Ned Colletti days, but it isn’t surprising see him get a better offer/job elsewhere. Not only does this organization have a ton of talent, player-wise, but it also has a lot of talent in the front office. Those guys will continue to get hired elsewhere, but they’ll also be adequately replaced so that this org remains strong.
The Dodgers signed one of the Braves’ prospects who were just declared free agents. They inked Guillermo Zuniga, a 19-year-old right-handed pitcher, with a $205,000 bonus. He’s 6’3, 195 pounds, has a strong fastball, a solid changeup and a developing curveball. He’ll be a name to watch going forward.
To close, a strong Q&A just ahead of the Winter Meetings. Keep them coming.
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